Care (working title)
by Snowysocks
Summary: When a harmless prank goes drastically wrong the Warblers find themselves learning much more about hard work and dedication, to those that you love, than they had ever anticipated. Niff, Sebastian/OC, lots of Warblers.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, here is the first chapter, I hope that you enjoy it. This is my first multi-chapter fanfiction, so go easy on me. Also I will be requiring some SYOC characters so please, if you have a minute, the form is at the bottom:)

Thank-you,

Morgan x

* * *

Sitting outside the Dean's office the Warblers know that they are in serious trouble. They hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt, it was only a harmless prank to initiate their newest member. I mean how much harm can some soapy water, feathers and paint do? Sitting where they were now they all realised that the answer to that question was: a lot. The staff may have been willing to overlook the mess. After all the Warblers were all well-mannered and responsible boy, therefore they knew that any mess that was created would be cleared away afterwards. However when their prank led to two members of staff being injured, the occurrence could not simply be ignored. This harmless prank had put 2 staff out of work and so the Warblers were now awaiting their punishment.

The door opened and they all headed inside, not making eye contact with the Dean. They all gulped nervously, even Wes who was normally very confident. The Dean, a man who was usually so cheerful and smiley, looked disappointed and a little angry. Once all of the boys were assembled he cleared his throat and spoke,

"Boys, I hope you all understand the severity of your actions. I have to say I expected better of you. You were the cause of injury to 2 staff members, who are now unable to work until further notice. Clearly you are not as sensible as the faculty believe. However boys, more than anything I am disappointed in you, you are all amazing students and I just don't understand why you thought it was a good idea, I thought you were more mature than that." He looked over the all of the boys. Each and every one of them looked ashamed. Nobody spoke for a few minutes. When someone finally did speak up it was, unsurprisingly, Wes,

"We are very sorry Sir, it was honestly a simple prank. None of us knew that anyone would get hurt, and of course that was never our intention." The Dean gave a solemn nod, knowing that each and every boy was sincere in their guilt,

"Well the fact of the matter is that people did get hurt. Whether intentional or not I am afraid that must take the responsibility for your actions." All of them nodded, "I am just waiting for someone who is going to help me explain your punishment." All of the boys simply accepted this and sat in silence trying to work out what their punishment could possibly be.

It must have been 5 minutes, although it seemed like much longer, later that another man entered the office. The Dean stood and greeted him with a smile and a firm handshake before offering the man a seat. Once the new arrival was settled the Dean addressed the boys once again,

"Boys, this is Cai Longhurst, he works at the Westerville Young Carer's Centre; the place that you will be helping at. I will let him explain what you will be doing."

The new arrival smiled at the gloomy looking boys before addressing them,

"Okay, well as your Dean said, my name is Cai and I work at the Young Carer's centre. Due to certain circumstances you will all be joining me at the centre for the next month. You will come every other day after school: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as all day on a Saturday. The centre is basically a place where young carers: so people who have to take care of a disabled parent, sibling or other relative, can come to relax. We have carers who come every day for a little bit of time to do their homework without having to worry about the person they care for. We also offer educational support, counselling and various other opportunities to the carers to help make their lives a little easier. Now you will be in pairs or threes and split between 4 of the 5 sections at the centre." The Dean handed him a printed list.

"Okay, so Jon, David and Thad you will be working in the section that cares for disabled teens. You will be required to help care and entertain them while their sibling carers are able to have a break. Trent and Ollie you will be working in the younger siblings section. This is basically where younger siblings who are not disabled can go to allow them to have some fun and to relieve some stress from the young carer. Wesley, Thomas and Hunter the three of you will be working with the disabled children. This is essentially the same as the disabled teens but you will be working with kids 12 and under. Lastly Nicholas and Sebastian, the two of you will be working with the young carers. Helping them with simple things and offering them support. I am going to give you each a pack explaining more about what you will be expected to do, I would suggest that you read them in time for Monday because they will be a great help to you." He looked towards the Dean who nodded. He handed each of them a pack and the Dean then dismissed them.

They all flopped onto the couches in their common room and began to read through their packages. Jon, David and Thad were all reading together:

_Role: Disabled Teen Carer_

_Your job will require you to work with teens, who have a range of disabilities. The work done with these teens is vital as it allows the young carer to have a break from the pressure of caring for them while knowing that they are in a safe environment. _

_Some of the duties you will have may include:_

_Administration of medication._

_Reading with the teens._

_Sitting with them while they engage in an activity._

_Talking to them about their life and how they feel._

_Changing beds and clothing._

_Assisting with meal times_

_There are other duties but these are the main examples. _

_You will be expected treat each of the teens with respect and control your reactions. However we know that this is sometimes difficult as the teens have a vast array of disabilities, some more shocking than others. For this reason we will never leave you without help and if you feel you need a break then there will be someone for you to talk to. More than anything these teens just want to be treated like normal people, so all you need to do is simply be yourselves and treat them like you would treat your friends._

The three of them finished reading, they were reassured now. They had all thought that they were going to have to do dreadful things but now they felt a little more comfortable. While they had been reading theirs the others had been doing the same:

Hunter, Tom and Wes's packets read:

_Role: Disabled Child Carer_

_Your job will require you to work with children 12 and under, who have a range of disabilities. The work done with these children is vital as it allows the young carer to have a break from the pressure of caring for them while knowing that they are in a safe environment. _

_Some of the duties you will have may include:_

_Administration of medication._

_Reading with the children._

_Sitting with them while they engage in an activity or playing with them._

_Talking to them about their life and how they feel._

_Changing beds and clothing._

_Assisting with meal times_

_There are other duties but these are the main examples. _

_You will be expected treat each of the children with respect and control your reactions. However we know that this is sometimes difficult as the children have a vast array of disabilities, some more shocking than others. For this reason we will never leave you without help and if you feel you need a break then there will be someone for you to talk to. More than anything these children just want to be treated like normal people, so all you need to do is simply be yourselves and treat them like you would treat any child._

Trent and Ollie's packets read:

_Role: Younger Sibling Supervisor_

_For a young child who has a disabled older sibling or is cared for by an older sibling life can be very frightening and they often do not get the opportunities that their friends and classmates do. Your job is to supervise and assist these children during a time when they can relax and act like any other person their age be that 3 or 17. _

_Some of the duties you will have may include:_

_Supervision of activities._

_Reading with the children._

_Sitting with them while they engage in an activity or playing with them._

_Talking to them about their life and how they feel._

_Helping supervisors to tidy playrooms._

_Help older children with school work._

_Assisting with meal times_

_There are other duties but these are the main examples._

_You will be expected treat each of the children with respect and behave appropriately around them. More than anything these children just want to be able to act like any other child their age. All you need to do is simply be yourselves and treat them like you would treat any other person of their age._

Nick and Seb's packets read:

_Role: Young Carer Support_

_Life for a young carer is often very difficult. More often than not they are under an immense amount of pressure between caring for their disabled relative, caring for younger siblings while also trying to find the time for their school work. Your job will be to help these carers to relax and relieve some of the stress and pressure that they feel on a daily basis. _

_Some of the duties you will have may include:_

_Helping them with homework._

_Engaging with them in a hobby or activity that they enjoy._

_Being a person they can talk to about their problems and worries._

_Being a friend to them and offering them comfort._

_Encouraging them to believe that they are doing all they can to help their family._

_Showing them that they are very important and that they do matter._

_These are just a few examples of the duties that you could be expected to fulfil._

_Many of these carers may have minor problems of their own due to the stress and pressure of their everyday lives. We want them to have a safe space where they can relax and simply be themselves without worry or judgement. You must respect them and their boundaries. You must not push them if they don't want to do something or talk about something. Really you just need to be there for them because they need somewhere to be normal and for many of them the centre is the only place._

After reading their packets all of the Warblers, while reassured, were quite nervous. They could potentially be given a lot of responsibility and they were worried that they would do something wrong. However they were all determined to do their best and try to fulfil the roles that they had been given.

* * *

SYOC form:

Okay I am going to need a few characters:

4-8 young carers (I need boys and girls from 15-19)

4-6 younger siblings (Again, boys and girls aged 3-11) (I will be using 2 of these as fairly major characters)

If anyone wants to submit a disabled character please go for it, it would help me a lot.

Form:please can you submit by PM, if possible. I do not mind if you submit forms by reviewing but by PM would be easier for me :)

Type of character:(young carer, younger sibling, disabled character)

Full name:

Age:

Disability: If applicable

Likes:

Dislikes:

Appearance:

Celeb look alike: (if you can, but it is not essential)

I do not need loads of information from you but if anyone has a minute to submit a character I would really appreciate it as I cannot continue until I at least have a few characters.

Thank you

Morgan x


	2. Chapter 2

Hi,

So here is the second chapter. I want to thank those people who followed and favourited. I also want to thank Desire at gunpoint who has submitted 2 characters. However, until more people have submitted characters I cannot write the next chapter so please submit a character using the form at the end of the first chapter :)

Thank-you and enjoy

Morgan x

* * *

After school on Monday each of the boys hurried back to their dorms to change. Cai would be coming to pick them up at 4:30 and so they had half an hour to change. They would be at the center from 4:45 till 8:00 each day during the week and on Saturdays they would be there from 8:30am until 7:00pm. It was a long time but it was a punishment and the Dean thought that the time was quite fitting. Each of them had had to fill out an information form and a medical form as both were required for them to be able to volunteer at the centre.

At 4:30 they all hopped into the mini bus greeting Cai a little apprehensively as they did not know what he thought of them. They had all sent personal apologies to the two teachers who were injured in their prank and had clubbed together to send them both an extensive get well soon/ apology gift. Something they had just discovered was that the reason that they were fulfilling their punishment at the Centre was because Mr Kolten, one of the teachers who was injured, was heavily involved in a charity that raises money for the centre. He felt that the boys could fulfill their punishment better if they were helping a worthy cause. The other teacher had readily agreed and The Dean had immediately contacted the centre. The person who ran the centre was delighted with the prospect of having 10 extra helpers for the month.

The boys didn't really know quite what to expect, but when they pulled into the centre they were amazed by the huge building. It was clear that it was a successful cause and while the building was very obviously not new, it was in very good condition. Before they got off the bus Cai gathered their attention,

"Okay, now you are all going to different sectors and so you will be going different ways. When we get to reception I will introduce you all to the head of the sector you will be working in. You will be under their command while you are helping here and they will always be able to help you. Any questions?" They all shook their heads and Cai grinned,

"Okay, well let's go inside then."

They all followed him into the building. The reception area was modern with nice, soft carpet and pastel coloured walls. There were many pictures, hand drawn, posted on one wall, while on the other wall there was a collage of photographs. Cai noticed them gaping at the photo collage and explained,

"That is a collage of all of the people who have been to the centre or involved in the centre. It is nice for us to have a way to remember everyone and it is a way for everyone to feel like they are a part of our community. If you don't mind, we will put some pictures of your time here up on the wall and you will be a part of it too." Each of the boys smiled a little at that. It was clear to them that the people who worked here were very dedicated to what they did and they clearly cared about every person who came through their doors.

It was only when Cai gestured to 3 other people stood in the reception that they noticed that they were there. All three grinned at the boys and Cai introduced them,

"So, as I said there is a head for every sector. There are actually 5 sectors but it was decided that we would keep you with people you own age and younger because we have found that people your age have struggled when working with the disabled adults. Firstly this is McKenzie," He gestured to one of the two women, she must have been in her late twenties and was very pretty, "McKenzie is the head of the Younger Sibling's Sector so Trent and Ollie you will be going with her." Trent and Ollie nodded and headed off with McKenzie.

Cai next turned to the other woman, "This is Isabelle she is in charge of the Disabled Teen's sector. Isabelle this is Jon, David and Thad." The three boys headed off after the woman leaving 5 of them standing there. Cai spoke once more, "Obviously you know who I am, I am head of the Disabled Children's Sector so Hunter, Wes and Tom you will be with me. Nick and Seb this is Sundance, he is the head of the Young Carer's Sector so you will be going with him."

Nick and Seb both shook Sundance's hand before he gestured for them to follow him. As they were walking he began to speak,

"Okay, have you both read the info packet?" They both nodded and he grinned, "Awesome. Okay this evening we have 12 carers ranging from 14-19 here. Each of them is free to pretty much do anything. All you really need to do to start off with is introduce yourself and maybe talk to them a little. If they need help with something they will just ask. If I am honest they just want to have a chance to be a normal teen and they don't want you to treat them any differently to how you would treat your friends. Just chat with them don't be overly cautious with what you say, just relax and help them to enjoy their down time. One thing that is going on at the moment is counselling sessions, they are individual sessions with myself and some of my colleagues for the kids if they need to talk in private. Last thing, dinner is at 6:45, we will be in the hall with everyone else including the adults so some of them may choose to sit with their families. They may ask you to join them, please don't feel pressured to because we understand how it may be a little difficult for you, okay?" Both Seb and Nick nodded. Sundance smiled and opened a door. Chattering voices could immediately be heard. The majority of the noise came from one room on the left. Cai explained the layout of the area,

"Okay, on our left is the main common room, and second left is where the games room is. Here on our right is the study room, basically they can go in there to use computer resources or if they just need somewhere quiet to do school work etc." He led them further down the corridor which turned left, just before it turned there was a door. He paused and opened the door to show an empty room, "This is the quiet room; if the kids just want to relax and have some time to read or simply just have a bit of quiet time, this is the room they come to." He led them down the hallway to the next room but he didn't open the door, "This is the sleep room, some of the kids don't have the chance to get a good sleep, this is a small room that allows them to have a nap and catch up a little." He then gestured down the hallway where there were 4 more doors, "These 4 rooms are the private rooms, we have conduct counselling sessions in there and they are the only rooms that we ask you do not just enter. Is that okay, any questions?" Both boys shook their heads.

Sundance was about to speak again when they heard a door slam and a blonde boy came rushing past them. Sundance caught him and he struggled but Sundance pulled him into a hug and began to gently rub his back. The boy seemed to relax and began to sob into Sundance's shoulder. He gestured to the quiet room and Nick and Seb followed him in there and closed the door quietly as he settled down with the blonde boy by his side. The boy's sobs slowly subsided and Sundance spoke softly,

"Jeff sweetie, I want to introduce you to some people." He prompted the boy up and he met Nick and Seb's gaze. Is eyes were red and puffy and tears were still streaking his cheeks. HE reached up and rubbed at his face with his sleeve. Nick smiled softly at the boy feeling a strong urge to protect the vulnerable looking boy. Sundance smiled at the silent interaction as Jeff smiled slightly in return,

"Jeff, this is Nick and Seb, they are going to be here a few days a week for the next month, perhaps you would like to…" The door burst open and Sundance was cut off mid-sentence. A very petite boy hurried over and Jeff immediately reached for him pulling him into his arms. Sundance smiled,

"It is okay Caolan, everything is okay buddy." The small boy looked up at Sundance and nodded a shy smile on his face as he cuddled into Jeff. Sundance chuckled,

"Okay, as I was saying, Jeff maybe you could introduce Seb and Nick to some of the others, it is there first day here and I think it would be really helpful." Jeff nodded and Sundance glanced at the 2 Dalton boys before getting up,

"Good, I will see all of you later then."

The door shut after him and the silence was quite awkward. The small boy in Jeff's lap turned and smiled at them before introducing himself quietly,

"Hi, my name is Caolan." Sebastian spoke before Nick had a chance,

"My name is Seb and this is Nick, it is lovely to meet you." Nick's eyebrows shot up into his hair line as Sebastian responded. Where was the snarky slightly arrogant boy he knew? Caolan blushed lightly and Jeff prompted him up so that he could get up. Jeff then grabbed Nick's hand much to Nick's surprise and Caolan grabbed Seb's. They dragged them from the room and into the hallway Jeff saying,

"I think it is time you meet some of the others." Both the Dalton boy looked at each other nervously but their young guides did not seem to notice and they were taken into the main common room ready to meet the other young carers.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, this chapter is a little shorter than the previous two. It was mainly so that I could introduce some of the characters. The SYOC's are credited at the bottom, thank-you to the people who submitted them. I still need some SYOCs (details at the end) so please submit them, but only the ones I need. I will hopefully have the next chapter up in the next few days but until then, enjoy :)

Morgan x

* * *

Jeff pushed the door to the common room opened and the occupants of the room instantly turned to look at them. Nick and Seb observed the 3 people watching a movie as they sat, huddled together, on the sofa. Jeff grinned and began to introduce everyone,

"Okay, guys this is Nick and Seb, they are going to be helping a few nights a week for the next 4 weeks so Caolan and I thought we would introduce them to you." The three new people smiled and waved mumbling hellos. Jeff then turned to us to introduce his friends,

"Nick, Seb this is Tessa Tan, Jackson Smith and Emma Kaine." He gestured to the first girl, she was of Asian descent and looked to be about 15. She had straight, dark hair that fell to her waist and a warm smile that lit up her face, both boys despite being gay felt that she was very pretty. The boy, Jackson, was sat between the two girls an arm wrapped round each of them in an amicable way. He looked to be about 18 and fairly tall with dark brown hair, spiked up with gel and warm brown eyes. He nodded to them by way of greeting before turning his attention back to the movie. The second girl was about 16, likes the other she had brown eyes that sparkled as she grinned at them, she had blonde hair that had brown highlights that complimented her eyes and skin tone perfectly. Like Tessa she was very pretty but in a different way. Emma stood up and Nick and Seb were both quite surprised when she hugged them in greeting.

Once Emma had settled back down Jeff and Caolan pulled the two Dalton boys to sit down with them and watch the movie. Somewhere along the line the group of teenagers gave up on the movie and turned to sit in a circle so they could all talk and get to know each other. Nick and Seb were stunned tat how normal the teens seemed. If they were honest they had been expecting them to all be little different due to their circumstances. Nick voiced their thought and the teens laughed Jackson reassuring them that it wasn't offensive and that many people thought that.

When Sundance popped his head round the door he was delighted to see how Nick and Sebastian were getting on with the teens. As he was stood there he heard Sebastian ask,

"I thought there were 12 carers here today?" Sundance spoke up from where he was stood, startling the teens,

"There were, 3 of them have gone home though and the other 3 are having family sessions so you won't be seeing them today. Anyway it is time for dinner so you all need to head to the dining hall. Nick, Sebastian if you come with me I need to talk to you." He waited for his usual teens to filter out of the room, watching in amusement as Jeff and Caolan begged Seb and Nick to sit with them at dinner. When they agreed Jeff threw his arms around Nick much to the Dalton boy's shock before he grabbed Caolan's hand and bolted from the room. Nick looked a little flustered and he couldn't help but chuckle as he gestured for them to step into the hallway.

Sundance took the two boys into the dining hall and they stood off to the side. The dining hall was a central place where the carers could sit with their families to eat. The two boys saw their friends who all came hurrying over. Sundance smiled at the group and turned to watch the people sat at the tables. The boys watched as the people they had become familiar with headed in separate directions to sit with family members. Sundance saw that Nick and Seb were gazing towards Caolan and Jeff. He smiled saying,

"You can go and sit with them in a minute. Jeff. Cares for his dad and his younger brother. Jacob, his dad, is paralysed from the waist down and also down his left side which makes it very difficult and obviously Jeff therefore has to care for him and Jaime who is only 7. Caolan is the carer for his twin brother, Cadyn suffers from mental regression and has the mental age and capabilities of an 18 month year old. Sadly the two of them were orphaned at the age of 8 and since then Caolan took on the responsibility of taking care of his brother.

Seeing as they were all there Sundance decided to explain a few more of the occupants to them. He gestured towards Emma and Jackson who were sat with Tessa, 2 girls and 2 young boys.

"Tessa helps her father care for her mother and comes here 3 times a week to have a break from all the stress. Jackson cares for the girl in the wheelchair, his sister Claire, she suffered a brain injury that has caused her to be unable to walk and then the other little girl who is their sister Megan, she is 8 and she is really sweet. Then of course you have Emma, she cares for the two younger boys, James, the older one is perfectly fine and comes with Emma to get away from the stress at home and to have some time to himself, then you have Ryan he is 9 and Autistic so Emma spends a lot of time helping him and looking after him. Both Jackson and Emma have single parents who have to work full time and so they are both left to care for their siblings." He then turned to Jon, David and Thad saying,

"I assume you met Carrie earlier?" The three boys nodded and Sundance explained to the others,

"Carrie is another teen, she is very good friends with Claire. Carrie is 14 and she suffered a back injury that means that, like Claire, she is unable to walk. Normally she would be here but her brother, who is her carer, had a hockey match this evening and she was set on going to support him. The rest of you will meet her on Wednesday." Sundance was about to tell them to go and sit down when Wes suddenly piped up,

"Who are they?" Sundance glanced over to see who Wes was looking at. He smiled as he saw the two people,

"That is Oskar and Scarletta. Oskar von Persak aged 64 and his partner Scarletta Contaili aged 19. Oskar is wheelchair bound and suffers from mild Parkinson's wile Scarletta suffers with PTSD. Technically they do not have a young carer but they care for each other and sometimes need a place where they can spend time together without the added worries of their conditions. When Scarletta turns 21 they will be transferred to the adult care unit where they will be with other adult who suffer similar conditions and they can continue their relationship with the support that we are unable to give them." The boys all nodded and then most of them went and sat together while a few of them went to sit with the people from the centre. Nick and Seb headed over to Jeff and Caolan to sit down and Sundance was extremely glad that they were getting on so well because Jeff and Caolan deserved to have some people to spend time with them other than each other.

Since they had both arrived Jeff and Caolan were inseparable. They would talk to the other carers but generally they kept to themselves and supported each other. They had helped each other through some very hard times and Sundance was glad that the centre had provided them both with the opportunity to form a bond with another person as strongly as they had with each other. Now he was glad to say that bond may be expanded and the two boys would gain so much more than they ever could have thought.

Character summary:

Sterling

Jacob 38

Jeff 16

Jamie 7

Dornelli-Snow

Cadyn 14

Caolan 14

Kaine

Emma 16 (DOOLloverGleek)

James 12 (DOOLloverGleek)

Ryan 9 (DOOLloverGleek)

Smith

Jackson 18 (DOOLloverGleek)

Claire 15 (DOOLloverGleek)

Megan 8 (DOOLloverGleek)

Tan

Tessa 15 (Alexagleek)

Von Persak

Oskar 64 (Desire at gunpoint)

Contaili

Scarletta 19 (Desire at gunpoint)

Hellmann

Carrie 14 (krillerHDaddictedtoNiff)

* * *

Okay, I still need SYOCs.

I am in need of:

A brother for Carrie age 16-18

2 male carers

2 female carers

2 disabled under 12s

2 younger siblings

1 disabled teen

Here is the application form, please send them preferably by PM, but by review is fine :)

Full name:

Age:

Disability: (if applicable)

Likes:

Dislikes:

Appearance:

Celebrity look alike: (if you can, but not essential)

Thank-you

Morgan x


	4. Note

Hi guys,

I am so sorry that I am already posting an authors note. Some personal stuff has come up and I am not going to be able to write for a while, potentially a very long while, so I don't really know what is going to happen with this story. I am really sorry to those of you who have submitted characters but some things are just unavoidable and I am going to have no free time. The story subject is something relevant to myself and so I hope that you can understand why I won't be writing.

Sorry again,

Morgan x


End file.
